


The Castle

by Beleriandings



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-24
Updated: 2014-02-24
Packaged: 2018-01-13 15:46:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1232122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beleriandings/pseuds/Beleriandings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Turgon has been arguing with his elder brother Fingon, but his best friend Finrod knows just how to cheer him up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Castle

“Good morning!” said Findaráto politely, peering up at Anairë from under the hood of his rain-spotted cloak. “Is Turno home?”

“Of course Ingo, sweet, he was in his room not long ago. Come in from the rain!” She ushered him in, helping him hang up his damp cloak with a tut, and ruffling his golden hair. “He’ll be happy to see you back from Alqualondë for the season.” She smiled. “Go on.”

“Thank you!” Findaráto gave her a bright grin as he slipped off his boots and padded off down the corridor to his friend’s bedroom.

He knocked on the door. “Turno…?”

“ _Go away._ ”

Findaráto frowned, testing the handle. The door appeared to be barricaded shut. “It’s Ingo. I’m back! Can you let me in?”

There was a short pause, and then a shuffling of paper and a scraping sound, and the door inched fractionally open, Turukáno’s eye appeared, peering suspiciously through the crack. “Oh! It’s you!” He let out a huffing sigh and opened the door fully, dragging Findaráto hastily inside by the sleeve and closing the door behind them. Turukáno’s eyes were red-rimmed, and he looked worried and dishevelled.

“You’ve got glue in your hair” pointed out Findaráto. Turukáno merely scowled and said nothing.

“What  _happened_ , Turno?”

Turukáno stared at his feet guiltily for a moment. Then suddenly he burst out “ _Finno hates me!_ ”

“What?” Findaráto was shocked. “Why?”

“His favourite book!” Turukáno wailed. “ _Tall Tales of Horror from the Outer Lands._  Atar gave it to him for his eight begetting day. I’ve read all my own books, and Finno said that one was too scary for me, and I couldn’t help it, I just had to have a look. And… and… I broke it! The binding… I didn’t do it on purpose though!” He added hastily. “Only I didn’t ask before I borrowed it, but he hasn’t read it for years, and I thought…” He stifled a sob. “I tried to fix it, but…” he gestured limply at the pot of glue that sat open on the table and the sticky mess that was beginning to drip onto the floor.

“But it only made it worse? And then he found out?” Findaráto’s eyes were wide.

Turukáno nodded sadly. “I said sorry though! Lots of times! But he was angry with me anyway. I said he hasn’t read it for years, he knows all the stories off by heart. But he said it had ‘sentimental value’ and I don’t know what he meant, but… then he went out.” he swallowed, looking up at Findaráto. “Ingo, what if he doesn’t want to talk to me ever again!”

“Mmph” said Findaráto thoughtfully. It was, he decided, a problem.

“Maybe I should run away from home” said Turukáno thoughtfully.

Findaráto looked out of the window doubtfully. “It’s raining outside. Your Amil would never let you.”

“That’s not the point of running away from home!”

Findaráto scowled. Then he brightened. “I know” he said, after a moment had passed. “Let’s build a castle instead, and when Findekáno comes home, we will never let him in!”

Turukáno looked dubious. “What sort of castle?”

“One that is strong enough to keep out monsters and angry brothers and cousins. Look, I’ll show you!”

Together they pulled the mattress off Turukáno’s bed and stood it against the wall in one corner of the room. Findaráto made a quick dash into drawing room whilst Turukáno stood guard, and returned with several large cushions with which to reinforce the wall. On the other side they placed the chair from Turukáno’s desk, and overall they draped the blanket from the bed. Then they stood back, looking proudly on what they had built.

“It is the best castle in the world” pronounced Turukáno solemnly.

“Course it is” Findaráto grinned. “ _We_  built it.” He wriggled through the narrow gap they had left for a doorway. “Findekáno will never be able to get to you to be angry at you, not here. He’ll come to the door and he’ll have to apologise to you, for being so mean.”

“I don’t know if I - ”

“Come on!” said Findaráto, patting the floor beside him invitingly. Come and see what it’s like in here!”

Turukáno looked at the castle appraisingly. “We need supplies first.”

“You’re right. The siege could be a long one.”

This time Turukáno was the one to creep out into the corridor to the kitchen, whilst Findaráto stood guard. When he returned, his arms were full of a tray piled high with a teetering stack of tiny cinnamon cakes, a bowl of strawberries and cherries, half of an apple pie, some sugared almonds, a jar of honey and a pile of ginger biscuits. “Are these enough supplies?”

Findaráto giggled nervously. “How did you get all that?”

“It was easy” said Turukáno nonchalantly, steadying the tray against his hip as it wobbled. “Will you let me into the castle?”

“Of course!” Findaráto jumped up and fetched a lampstone, before following Turukáno into the castle and closing the blanket door behind them. It was warm and dark inside, and for a while they sat and ate in gleeful silence, in the pale, blue-white light of the lampstone. 

“What now?” said Findaráto, when they had finished the apple pie and most of the ginger biscuits between them. “Do you have any idea when Findekáno is going to attack our castle?”

“Well… no…” admitted Turukáno, a little sheepishly. “He only said he’d be home later and then he went out.” His eyes widened suddenly. “He might be planning a surprise attack!”

“He could be! We should send out scouts to check!”

“Too dangerous” said Turukáno. He drew back the blanket just a crack and peered out with one eye.

“Anything?” asked Findaráto.

“Nothing so far, but he could be just being very very sneaky…”

“No” said Findaráto thoughtfully. “Your brother isn’t that sneaky. We’ll know when he’s - ”

“Sssshhhh!” Turukáno had cocked his ear to the blanket door, for there had been a knock at the door of Turukáno’s room.

“Turno? Are you there?” Findaráto and Turukáno exchanged glances. It was Findekáno’s voice. There was a pained sigh. 

“Turno? Come on, I know you’re in there, I can  _hear_  you.”

Turukáno put a finger over his lips to indicate silence.

“Turukáno, I wanted to talk to you. Can you let me in?” There was a scraping as the door of the room opened. Turukáno swallowed nervously as the blanket was pulled back and his brother’s face appeared in the gap.

“Turno? Oh, hello Ingo. What are you doing here?”

“Helping Turno defend his castle” said Findaráto frostily. “What are  _you_  doing here?”

Findekáno raised an eyebrow. “I wanted to…” he saw Turukáno glaring angrily at the floor, biting his lip. “Oh, Turno. I hope you’re not angry at me?” He looked at Findaráto. “What did he tell you?”

“That you never wanted to talk to him again.”

“No, I didn’t mean…” Findekáno bent down. “That’s a very impressive castle you have there. Can I come in too? So I can explain?”

“No!” said Findaráto. “You were mean to Turno!”

“Turno?”

Turukáno hesitated. “I suppose so” he said finally, in a small voice. He shuffled backwards to allow Findekáno to fit inside the small space.

“Turno!” hissed Findaráto. “What - ”

“I’m sorry Turukáno” said Findekáno. “I just wanted to tell you that I overreacted earlier. I’ve taken the book to be fixed, and look, I’ve got you something.” He took a package from under the cloak that he was still wearing, spotted with rain from outside, and placed it in his brother’s hands.  It was large and rectangular, wrapped in brown paper. “Open it!”

Turukáno gingerly tore open a corner of the wrapping, his eyes suddenly growing round and wide. “Oh, Finno! Thank you!” He threw his arms around Findekáno with as much abandon as the small space allowed.   
Findekáno grinned lopsidedly. “I thought it was time you had your own copy. I loved it at your age. You’re certainly old enough for scary stories, at any rate!”

He caught sight of Findaráto frowning. “I hope you too forgive me, Findaráto. And thank you for helping to cheer Turno up in my… absence.”

Findaráto regarded him solemnly, thinking over the problem. “You were mean to Turno, but he broke your book” he said, thinking aloud. “But anyway. I’m his best friend, so you have to make it up to  _me_ , too.”

“Your wish is my command” said Findekáno, his eyes lighting on the tray. “Are those cinnamon cakes?” He took one. “Better not let Amil find out you took these” he said through a mouthful of cake.

“First” said Findaráto. “You won’t tell anyone about the cakes.”

“Agreed” said Findekáno. “As I’m now equally guilty, that shouldn’t be too hard.”

“And then” said Findaráto, “will you read us a scary story?”

Turukáno brightened visibly. “Yes please Finno, will you?”

Findekáno smiled, putting one arm around Turukáno and the other around Findaráto and drawing them both close, motioning for his brother to hand him the lampstone. “That I can certainly manage.” He pulled the blanket across the entrance and placed the lampstone so that it illuminated his face from below, throwing strange shadows across his features. Findekáno opened the book. “It was a dark time, and the stars were veiled…” he began. Findaráto and Turukáno exchanged grins, instinctively joining hands behind Findekáno and drawing the three of them closer together as the story began. 


End file.
